The present invention relates in general to the treatment of physiological disorders and in particular it relates to the treatment of physiological disorders by the application of pressure to selected regions of the body.
The treatment of physiological disorders by means of acupuncture is well known. Acupuncture is the method of employing fine punctures of the skin, at spatially, exactly defined points in order to treat specific disorders. One example of such treatment is the treatment of obesity by the insertion of an acupuncture needle at a selected point on the external ear. In this regard, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,077 to Kim. Other disorders treated by acupuncture techniques used on the external ear include sciatica, neck pain and shoulder pain. Another example of such treatment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,064 to Leupold, which discloses that toothache may be treated by applying an acupuncture needle to a selected region of the index finger.
One problem which has been noted with acupuncture is that a skilled practitioner is generally required to administer the treatment which thus eliminates the possibility of frequent treatment for certain disorders. To eliminate this problem, in the treatment of obesity for example, staples and rings which pierce the ear have been used such that a continuous treatment may be effected. However, experience has shown that when acupuncture points are continuously stimulated for long periods of time the patient will acclimate to the stimulation and a rest period is required before further stimulation is effective. This condition is known as "acupuncture point fatigue" and, in the case of acupuncture point fatigue, removal of the staples and rings which pierce the external ear is difficult.
Another disadvantage of acupuncture techniques is that since the skin is punctured with the acupuncture needle, a danger of infection is presented. Accordingly, acupressure, rather than acupuncture has been employed.
Acupressure is the application of pressure to selected points of the body, which pressure is not sufficient to pierce the skin, but which is still an effective treatment for certain disorders. In the article entitled "Auricular ACI Mold Pressure Therapy and ACU Mold Disk Therapy" by Dr. Francis J. McCall, McCall Research Development Laboratories Ltd., Lansing, Illinois, a device is disclosed which employs acupressure to the external ear for the treatment of obesity and other disorders. The McCall device employs an ear-mold having a projection thereon which is used to apply pressure to specific points of the external ear. However, the ear-mold described by McCall is custom designed to the anatomy of the user. The aforementioned Leupold patent discloses an acupressure device for applying pressure to the index finger for the treatment of toothache.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is designed such that pressure may be applied to a selected region of the body by the patient on a frequent basis without the assistance of a medical practioner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an acupressure device which is useful for the application of pressure to various regions of the body and yet which is easily removed when desired.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a device which does not penetrate or puncture the skin.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an acupressure device which is capable of applying pressure to selected regions of the body, especially the external ear, for the treatment of various disorders and which need not be custom designed for each user.